Geall Ecstatic With Cup Winner's Stud Response

MELBOURNE Cup winner Koblenz now has three litters on the ground and studmaster David Geall couldn't be more excited.

The superbly bred son of Fernando Bale and Up Hill Jill – two of the best sprinters of their generations – retired to stud in March and has quickly piqued the interest of breeders.

"We've sold over 20 straws already," said Geall.

"He's got three litters on the ground, and they're three pretty big litters. We're very excited about them."

Summer Nights was the first bitch to whelp pups by Koblenz. Her first litter, by Geall's first Melbourne Cup winner My Redeemer, produced five winners from six pups that made it to the track.

Maddison Kaye won 15 of her 31 races in South Australia and followed with a litter of her own soon after, while Lady Zeeva, a close relative of group 1 winner Fernando Cazz, produced a litter of nine pups.

Geall was excited by the quality of bitches breeders have sent to Koblenz so early in his career, and had little doubt about what makes him such an attractive stud proposition.

As mentioned earlier on The Catching Pen, superstar sprinter and Melbourne Cup winner Koblenz has been retired.

‘Jaidyn's' lightning early speed earned him a brilliant 26 wins from 42 starts… but there was none better than that magical Cup victory!

Enjoy retirement, Champ ? pic.twitter.com/HgeMlMjhoc

— Sandown Greyhounds (@sandowndogs) March 15, 2022

"His speed and the brilliant box manners,” he said.

"But he was a strong dog as well. My brother was looking at the videos of his wins, and he said today that Aston Rupee and Aston Fastnet were the only two dogs that ran him down when he led, which says something for him. When he led, he was very hard to beat.

"He ran home at Cranbourne in 8.75. If you break 8.90 in the run home you were getting to the line pretty hard. His strength was underrated.

"We just need the early ones to throw something very quick. He is superbly bred – he's got the best father and a pretty good mother."

While Geall's stud dogs continue to shape the breeding scene – My Redeemer is already the number four ranked sire in Australia in his sophomore season – he is continuing to enjoy a rich run of form on track.

Of his last 50 runners, Geall has had 22 winners and another 11 minor placings and is confident of building on that recent success at Sandown Park on Thursday night.

"Fernando Mick is going terrific,” he said.

"Last week at The Meadows he jumped beautiful – 5.05 (to the first mark. For 8 months that dog couldn't get out of a box and now he's jumping quick – can you imagine if he had of been a quick beginner in those eight months where he made the Launching Pad, and the Maturity and the Cranbourne Cup?

"If he was beginning at that time, he would have won a big race. Now he's getting out so fast, we're hoping he can win a big one.

"He's well drawn, he knows how to handle himself and he does like it out wide. He's probably our best chance.

Fernando Mick is the $2 favourite for race nine, and also has Hill Top Jack ($1.65 in race 4) and Ozzie Pak ($$4 in race 11) engaged.